Extensible conveyors



P 9, 1958 R. F. LO PRESTI ETAL I EXTENSIBLE CQNVEYORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed May 25, 1956 INVENTOR.

Roy F LoPresr'l BY John R. Madeira a m ATTORNEY p 1958 R. F. LO PRESTIYEIAL 2,851,149

EXTENSIBLE CONVEYORS Filed May 25. 1956 v 2 sheets-sheet 2 IINVENTOR.Roy F L0 Presii BY John R. Madeira United States Patent EXTENSIBLECONVEYORS Roy F. Lo Presti and John R. Madeira, Chicago, 111., assignorsto Goodman Manufacturing Company, (Shicago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Application May 25, 1956, Serial No. 587,320

8 Claims. (Cl. 198-139) readily in position at the outby end of the tailsection of i such conveyor.

In Craggs et a1. applications Serial Nos. 548,622 and 549,603, filedNovember 23 and November 29, 1955 respectively, for ExtensibleConveyors, the flexible strands supporting the load carrying reach ofthe endless belt are reeved upon a storage reel mounted to the sides ofthe inby or tail section.

According to the present invention, the flexible strands for thetroughing rollers are guided at the inby or tail section along the innerface of the Side frames, and are reversed in direction at a pointextremely close to the inby end thereof, the reversed strand being thentrained in an outby direction and wound upon the conventional storagereel. The troughing roller assemblies in such cases can, as with thelength of the strands between the head and tail sections, be supportedupon that portion of the strands extending longitudinally of the tailsection.

As the strand is payed out by movement of the conveyor in an extendingdirection, the troughing roller assemblies can be held against movementwith the strands by hangers therefor which enclose the strand and heldbetween spaced abutments upon the side frames, so that the strands mayslide through the hangers upon such extending movement of the conveyor.

According to the present invention there is substantially no bending ofthe support strands adjacent the outby end of the tail section, and itis therefore possible during the extending movement to mount a troughingo roller assembly immediately outby of the tail section.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an improvedextensible belt conveyor characterized by a tail section with flexiblestrands extending for the length thereof, together with troughing rollerassemblies which are disposed along the length of the tail section andsuspended from such flexible strands.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparentfrom a study of the specification following taken with the drawingswhich together describe and illustrate a preferred embodiment of theinvention and what is now considered to be the best mode of practicingthe principles thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested to thosehaving the benefit of the teachings herein and such other embodimentsare intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope andpurview of the subjoined claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of the tail section of an extensible conveyorhaving the improvements according to the present invention embodiedtherein;

Patented Sept. 9, 1958 means mounted to the side frames of the tailsection seen in Fig. 1 for preventing shifting of the assembly on theflexible strands; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 1 looking in thedirectionof the arrows, certain parts being shown in elevation, showingmeans for reversing the flexible support strands at the inby end of thetail section.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown an extensibleconveyor indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and includinganinby or tail section 11 having spaced side frames 12, the inby or tailsection 11 being mounted for movement upon endless crawler treads 13. Asseen in Fig. 1, the spaced side frames 12 are maintained in spacedrelationship by means of laterally extending members 14 and 16.

The extensible conveyor 10 has an endless belt consisting of a conveyingreach 17 and a return reach 18, the two reaches being reversed indirection about an idler pulley 19 mounted on a shaft 21 disposed at theinby end of the tail section 11.

'i'he conveying reach 17 is supported upon spaced flexible strands 22which are spanned by troughing roller assemblies indicated generally bythe reference numeral 23, details of such assemblies being as shown inCraggs et a1. application Serial No. 521,355, filed July 11, 1955 forRope Frame Conveyor and Troughing Roller Assembly Therefor. As disclosedin said application, the flexible strands 22 are supported at intervalsthroughout their length upon standards 24 and each such standardincludes an idler 26 for support of the return reach 18.

According to the present invention the flexible strands 22 extend to apoint adjacent the inby end of the tail section 11 and are reversed indirection around an idler sheave 27, the end of the strand being woundupon a storage reel or drum 28. Power means, not shown, is provided forimposing suitable tension upon the strand 22 so as to support theconveying reach 17.

Referring now to Fig. 4 of the drawings, the idler sheave 27 is mountedupon a bearing pin 29 held in a block 31 Welded to the inner sides ofthe side frames 12.

That portion of the flexible support strand extending for the length ofthe tail section 11 is arranged to support also that portion of theconveying reach 17 extending for the length of such tail section 11, andtroughing roller assemblies indicated generally by reference numeral 23Aextend laterally of the support strands 22 for such purpose.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawing, each of said troughing rollerassemblies 23A consists of a center load supporting roller 32 flanked bywing rollers 33. Each of the rollers 32 and 33 includes a shaft 34, andthe ends of the shaft adjacent to each other are connected by a link 36having a pin connection 37 at each end thereof to the ends of the shaft34, so that the rollers 32 and 33 may move articulately in a verticalplane.

The outer ends of the shafts 34 of the wing rollers 33 are connected bya link 38 having a pin connection 39 at one end to the outer end of theshaft 34 and a pin connection 41 to a bracket 42 extending inwardly of atubular sleeve 43.

The tubular sleeve 43 is threaded by the support strand 22 as seen moreparticularly in Figs. 2 and 3, and the entire assembly consisting of therollers 32, 33 and the tubular sleeve 43 are held against shiftinglongitudinally between a pair of spaced angle brackets 44 having their 3feetheld-totlieside frame 12 as by means of cap screws 46.-

As seen in Fig. 2 each of the angle brackets 44 is pro vided with aT-slot 47 which permits entrance of the support strand 22,-the head ofthe T-slot being inclined as seeninFig; 2 for movement ofthe strand 22'along the axisof suchhead of the T-slot as is occasioned by changesinload upon the conveying reach- 17 and. the strand 22.

As'seen in Fig. 1, the'outbyend-of the tailsection 11 is provided withan eye -guide48 -through which each of the strands 22 extend. It will benoted that each strand 22 is bent but throughi-a very small angle,andfor all practical purposes may: be considered as deforming the strandonly to the amount-as. would behad at the support standard 24 nextoutby'oflthetail section 11.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that substantially thesame type-ofitroughing roller assembly canlbe providedforthe'tail'sectiom and-that the positions of such troughing rollerassembliesat the tail section are unchanged during the change inlengthof the conveyor. Moreover, after the conveyor has been extended adesired amount, troughing roller assemblies like those marked withv thereference numeral 23 can be placed in posltion close to the inbysection, or if desired, as the conveyor extends a support standard 24may be placed closely adjacent the outby end'ofrthe tail section 11.

While theinventionhas been described in terms of a preferred embodimentthereof. its scope is intended to be limited only by the claimshereappended.

We claim. as our invention:

1. In anertensible conveyor. of the type including a pair of. flexiblestrands for support of the convey ng reach of an endless belt, a movablesection including means for tramming said section, a pulley on saidmovable section adjacent the end' thereof for reversing sa d conveyingreach, means training said strands along said movable section andreversing same, means for. storing the reversed length. of said strandcomprising a storage reel, at least one troughing roller assemblysupported by said strands along said movable section, and means forrestraining movement of said troughing roller assembly with respect tosaid section while said strand moves with respect to said'sectioncomprising spaced abutments on said movable section.

2. In an extensible conveyor of the type including a pair of flexiblestrands for support of the conveying reach of an endless belt, a movablesection lncluding means for tramming said section, means at said movablesection for reversing said conveying reach, means tralmng said strandsalong said movable section and reversing same, means for anchoring thereversed length of said strand, at least one troughing roller assemblysupported by said strands along said movable section, and means forrestraining movement of said troughing roller assembly with respect tosaid section while said strand moves with respect to said sectioncomprlslng spaced abutments n movable section. In an extensible conveyorof the type includlng a pair of flexible strands for support oftheconveymg reach of an. endless belt, a movable. section includingmeans for tramming said section, means: at said movable section forreversing said conveying reach, means training said strands alongsaid-m0vablesection and reversing same; means for storing the reversedlength of said strand, at least one troughing roller assembly supportedby said strands along said movable section, and means for restrainingmovement of said troughing roller assembly along said strand whensaid:strand moves with respect to said section.

4. In an extensible conveyor of the type including a pair of flexiblestrands for support of the conveying reach of an endless belt, a movablesection including means for tramming said section; means at said movablesection for reversing said conveying reach, means training said strandsalong said movable section and reversing same, means for'anchoringdhereversed length of said strand, at least one troughing roller assemblysupported by said strands along said movable section, and means forrestraining movement of. said troughing roller assembly when said strandmoves. with respect to said section.

5. In an extensible conveyor of the type including a pair of flexiblestrands for support of the conveying reach of an endless belt, amovablesection, means training said strands along said movable section,at least one troughing roller assembly supported by the said strandstrained along said movablesection, and a sliding connection between saidstrands and said troughing roller assembly whereby said strands canmovewith respect to said troughing roller assembly.

6. In an extensible conveyor of the type including a pair of flexiblestrands forsupport of the conveying reach of' an endless belt, a'movable section, means training said strands'along said movable section,at least one troughing roller assembly supported by the said strandstrained along said movable section, and means for restraining themovement of saidtroughing roller assembly while said strandsmove'with'respect t'o saidmovable section.

7. In an extensible conveyor of the type including a pair offlexiblestrands for support ofthe conveying reach of an endless belt, a movablesection, means training said strands along said movable section, atleast one troughing roller assembly supported by the said strandstrained along said movable section, and means whereby said strand ismovable relative to said troughing roller assembly while saidtroughing-roller assembly is maintained in a fixed position relative tosaid movable section.

8. In an extensible conveyorof the type including a pair offiexiblestrands for support of the conveying reach of an endless belt, a'movable section, means training said strands along said movable section,at least one troughing roller assembly supported by the said strandstrained along said movable section, and means for re-- strainingmovement of said troughing roller assembly along said strands comprisingabutments on said movable section against which said troughing rollerassembly bears.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,295,138 Dull Feb. 25, 1919 1,708,885 Hopkinson Apr. 9, 1929 1,748,301McKinlay Feb. 25, 1930 2,179,187 Kendall Nov. 7, 193

